


a sky full of stars

by biochemprincess



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Gen, Shooting Stars, Spoilers for 3x05, pre - series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-01
Updated: 2015-11-01
Packaged: 2018-04-29 07:30:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5120138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/biochemprincess/pseuds/biochemprincess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jemma and her dad watch the stars together. (Spoilers for 3x05)</p>
            </blockquote>





	a sky full of stars

**Author's Note:**

> for my lil sis k, because i borrowed your brace for jemma.

* * *

 

_**“What do stars do best? They shine.”** _

_**— Stardust, Neil Gaiman** _

* * *

 

Jemma tried to memorize every digit of Pi. 

Pi is endless her mum had said, but she’d know every number of it nonetheless. Everything was possible, if you wanted it enough. In the silence of her room, Jemma loudly repeated all of them, testing the sequence on her tongue.

It was only Day 2 of her bed rest, and many more were yet to come. Jemma hated it. She didn’t like to sit still and being confined to her bed was the worst punishment. The surgery for her back had been successful, at least the friendly doctor had said so, but now she needed to rest.

She hated it.

Her gaze fell onto the brace in the corner of her room. It was made of plastic and had a leopard pattern. Jemma hated the brace more than the bed rest, so she used it as her reminder to lie still. She’d never have to wear it again, if everything healed properly. And she’d never wear it again, she was very sure about it.

She hated the brace and the ugly words of the other kids, laced with venom and mockery. Jemma knew she wasn’t like them, but if nothing else, she wanted at least to get rid of the brace.  

“Why are you still up, Buttercup?” A voice from outside asked. Jemma turned her head and saw her dad standing in the door frame. He wore his coat and she could see that he had a thick blanket in his hands.

“I’m not tired. I’ve spent the whole afternoon sleeping.

"Perfect timing. There’s something I want to show you.”

“Really? What?” Curiosity flooded her body and she didn’t even try to hide her excitement.

“It’s a surprise.” Dad stepped into the room and draped the blanket over her. He also pulled out a beanie and put it onto her head. “We don’t want you to get cold.”

He released the brakes of the bed and softly rolled her out of the room. Jemma felt like floating, Aladdin on a magic carpet. She was a little confused, when they headed towards the front door, but her dad just kept going until they were outside in their driveway.

The air was crisp and bitterly cold. It would snow soon, the weather forecast had said. But Jemma wasn’t looking forward to it. Snow wasn’t funny when she couldn’t go out and play.

The bed stopped and Dad kneeled down until they were on eye - level. He adjusted his glasses and smiled at her. “Look up, Jemma.”

She looked up and saw the darkness of the night. There were a few stars shining bright above. It looked very pretty. Suddenly some movement caught her eye. And another. And another.

“Shooting stars.” Jemma whispered awestruck. Small, bright lights with tails filled the night sky, raining down on them. She wished she could touch one, just to see how it wold feel like.

“The Geminids. You can see them every year in the first half of December.” He pointed upwards. “And tonight is the peak of shower. We’re very lucky, because the sky is completely clear tonight.”

He explained it to her in detail, the beauty of space.

“We’re going to do that tomorrow again, if you’d like to.”

“Yes.” Her voice was small. She didn’t dare to interrupt the quiet silence of the night.

Jemma watched the stars and listened to her father’s words until she couldn’t keep her eyes open anymore. Her dreams were filled with shooting stars.

 

* * *

 

The next day, when she woke up early in the morning, she asked her mum for every book about space and the stars they had. When her arms grew tired from reading in awkward positions, her mother read them out loud to her.

“You need to watch the stars with us, Mum!”

“I will, sweetheart.”

Just as promised, Dad came to get her at night. They watched the meteor shower together, all three of them. It was not as intense as the night before, but just as beautiful. And Jemma was sure her mother smiled a little wider that night.

The weeks flew by, days filled with studying and reading and the anticipation of every nightfall, when the stars would come back to her. She learned the Latin names of stars and constellations, drew maps in black ink on blank pages.

She listened to the ancient myths, of immortal heroes put into the sky to honour their bravery, so they’d never be forgotten. Jemma wanted this too one day, to be placed among the stars, to be a hero.

Every night, without doubt, her dad would come to her room and wheel her bed outside so they could watch the stars together. Every night she discovered something new, something she hadn’t seen the nights before. Every night she fell asleep with their imagine on the back of eyelids.

And before she knew it, the last day of her bed rest had arrived.

Dad wheeled her out once more, the last night chained to the bed.

“We can still do this, right?” Jemma asked her father, eyes blown wide with hope.

“Of course.” He laughed and put a kiss on top of her head. “But then you’ll be able to stand. We’re gonna set up a telescope.”

“You have to remember something very important, Buttercup.” The look in his eyes grew serious and Jemma listened intently. “Okay?”

She nodded.

“The stars are your friends, Jemma. Every star was a person once and every person will one day become a star again. That’s the law of the universe. You’re never alone. They’ll always lead you home.”

And Jemma remembered.

 

* * *

 

(The moment before she jumped out of the airplane, the wind already taking her with her, she remembered.

Thirty feet under water, trapped in small space, she remembered.

Cut off from her friends and family, surrounded by Hydra, crying herself to sleep every night, she remembered.

In the empty desert, in the utter loneliness of the planet around her, she remembered.)

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think about it. You can also find me @ mightyjemma.tumblr.com :)


End file.
